Door and window arrangement

ABSTRACT

Two sliding doors or window sashes are supported on tracks of two rockers longitudinally juxtaposed on the bottom member of the door or window frame and each carrying two parallel tracks, the two pairs of tracks on respective rockers being aligned when both rockers are in an opening or in a closing position, and only one track of one rocker being aligned with one track of the other rocker when the rockers are in the opening and closing position respectively, whereby the doors or window sashes may both extend in the plane of the frame to obstruct the same or be practically coextensive in the direction of their sliding movement and offset transversely of this direction.

United States Patent 769,687 9/1904 Carner lnventor Kurt Schmid Steyr, Austria Appl. No. 882,639 Filed Dec. 5, 1969 Patented Mar. 23, 1971 Assignee Alcan Aluminiumwerke GMBI-I Gottingen-Wiende, Germany Priority Dec. 10, 1968, Mar. 17, 1969 Austria Al2001/68 and A2568/69 DOOR AND WINDOW ARRANGEMENT 13 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

.U.S. Cl. 49/130, 49/148, 49/212 Int. Cl E05d 15/20 Field of Search 49/130, 209,211, 217, 222,148, 223, 224, 220, 218, 219, I 212, 216

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 917,336 4/1909 Mathews 49/224 937,810 10/1909 l-lussey 49/130 1,447,876 3/1923 Lee 49/217 FOREIGN PATENTS 601,002 8/1934 Germany 49/130 613,869 5/1935 Germany 49/130 648,491 11/1962 Italy 49/130 Primary ExaminerDennis L. Taylor Attorneyl(elman and Beman ABSTRACT: Two sliding doors or window sashes are supported on tracks of two rockers longitudinally juxtaposed on the bottom member of the door or window frame and each carrying two parallel tracks, the two pairs of tracks on respective rockers being aligned when both rockers are in an opening or in a closing position, and only one track of one rocker being aligned with one track of the other rocker when the rockers are in the opening and closing position respectively, whereby the doors or window sashes may both extend in the plane of the frame to obstruct the same or be practically coextensive in the direction of their sliding movement and offset transversely of this direction.

DOOR AND WINDOW ARRANGEMENT This invention relates to sliding double doors and windows, and particularly to a door or window arrangement in which two panel members, such as window sashes or doors, may be juxtaposed in a common plane to obstruct the opening in the associated stationary frame, or be arranged one behind the other to leave a portion of the opening unobstructed.

Arrangements of the specific type described are esthetically more satisfactory and usually provide better scaling in the closed condition than double doors or windows in which the two panel members travel on individual, straight, parallel tracks. The known arrangements which permit the two panel members to extend in a common plane permit lateral sliding movement of one panel member only. They are relatively inconvenient to operate and their mechanisms are complex and must be heavy to withstand the substantial stresses generated during opening and closing. The known sliding windows cannot be tilted about a horizontal axis through a small acute angle to provide limited ventilation.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a sliding double door or window which is free from the above enumerated shortcomings of the known devices.

With this object and others in view, as will presently become apparent, this invention in one of its aspects resides in an arrangement of the general type described in which an upright frame extends in a plane about an opening and has an elongated bottom member. Two track carriers are longitudinally juxtaposed on the bottom member, and at least one of the track carriers is movable transversely of the direction of elongation of the bottom member between a closing position and an opening position. It defines a first track extending in the aforementioned direction of elongation, and the other track carrier defines a similarly oriented second track.

One of two panel members is equipped with track engaging elements which guide movement of the panel member on the tracks when engaging the same. The other panel member is mounted on the other track carrier. When the track engaging elements engage the first track while the first-mentioned track carrier is in the closing position, the panel members jointly extend in the plane of the frame opening and obstruct the opening. When the first-mentioned track carrier is in its opening position, the first and second tracks are longitudinally aligned and the one panel member can move on the aligned tracks toward and away from a position in which the panel members are at least approximately coextensive in the direction of the tracks and offset transversely of this direction.

Other features, additional objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will readily become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in connection with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows an arrangement of doors and windows of the invention in front elevation;

FIG. 2 shows the double door of the arrangement of FIG. 1 in fragmentary plan section on a larger scale taken at midheight;

FIG. 3 illustrates one of the doors of FIG. 2 in fragmentary side-elevational section in its median plane;

FIG. 4 shows the bottom of the door of FIG. 3 in another side-elevational section;

FIG. 5 shows the windows of the arrangement of FIG. 1 in rear elevation and in a different position;

FIG. 6 shows one of the windows of FIG. 5 in side elevation;

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate portions of the device of FIG. 6 in side-elevational section.

Referring initially to FIG. I, there are seen the contiguously juxtaposed closed doors and windows which lead from a room in a building, not otherwise shown in FIG. 1, to a terrace. The leaf 1 of the double door can be shifted toward the right or the left from the illustrated position. The door leaf 2 is normally shifted to the left for half opening the door, and the window sashes 4,5 may be moved from the illustrated positions in opposite lateral directions, the directions of the sliding movements being partly indicated by arrows 3.

As is shown in detail in FIGS. 2 to 4, the door opening 6 in the masonry wall 7 is bounded by a hollow metal casing 8 of rectangular cross section which is set in the plaster layer 9 covering the masonry wall 7. The inner face of the upright wall 9 has a wide and shallow recess 10 on either side of the door opening 6 dimensioned for receiving one of the door leaves 1,2, the recess being normally closed toward the door opening by a spring mounted flap 11.

A stationary door frame of extruded aluminum is attached to the casing 8 by self-tapping screws, not themselves shown. It consists of a sill or bottom member 12, a horizontal top member or head 13, and two identical, upright side members 14, the frame members 12,13,14 being sealed to the framework 8 by strips 15. The frame members 12,13 are provided with integral narrow channels 16 which assist in locating the aforementioned screws during assembly of the door frame.

The inner edge of the top frame member 13 (FIG. 3) is covered by an upright facing plate 17 of the same material. Integral portions of the top member 13 form a downwardly open channel 18 and a guide plate 19 sloping in a downwardly concave are from an apertured wall of the channel 18 toward the plane of the door opening 6. The upright outer face portion of the frame member 13 has an inwardly facing groove 20 in its enlarged lower edge portion. A sealing strip 21 is received in the groove 20. The edge portion forms an upwardly tapering rail 22 above the groove 20.

The bottom frame member 12 is a channel approximately U-shaped in cross section. The web portion rests on the door sill. The upright outer flange portion has a reinforced upper edge provided with a groove 20, and a sealing strip 21 in the groove, and forming an upwardly tapering rail 22 above the groove 20, as described above with reference to the top member 13. The upright inner flange portion has an edge portion 23 which is turned inwardly of the channel in a horizontal plane so as partly to cover the interior of the channel.

An approximately semicylindrical bearing trough 24 integral with the remainder of the bottom frame member 12 is raised above the web portion near the center of the channel. It conformingly receives an integral, cylindrical bearing pin 26 of a rocker 25 which consists of a length of extruded aluminum approximately Z-shaped in cross section, the pin 26 extending along one corner of the Z-shape. TWo similar cylindrical pins or beads 27,28 are provided at one free edge of the Z-shape and at the other corner respectively and are located above the bearing pin 26 and equidistant from the same in the fully drawn view of FIGS. 3 and 4. The other end portion 29 of the Z-shape forms a flange which abuts against the inner web face of the bottom frame member 12.

The rocker 25 may pivot on the trough 24 into an opening position shown in chain-dotted lines in which the pin or bead 27 abuts against the inner web face and the pin or bead 28 assumes the initial position of the bead 27. In the opening position of the rocker, the flange portion 29 of the racker extends in a common horizontal plane with the edge portion 23 to close a gap which would give access to the interior of the bottom frame member 12. The gap is closed by another portion of the rocker 25 in the fully drawn closing position.

The bead 28 provides a track for flanged rollers 30 on the sliding rectangular door 1 having an upper rail 31, a lower rail 32, and stiles 33 (FIG. 2). The several frame members of the door are aluminum extrudates which bound a central opening closed by two spacedly superposed glass panes 34 set in chan nels of the frame members. A handle 35 projecting from the door frame inwardly of the building (FIG. 2) is used for shifting the door on the track 28 when the doors are not arranged in a common upright plane, as shown in FIG. 2.

In that position, a sealing flange 36 of the otherwise identical door 2 overlaps the door 1 and is sealed to the same by a resilient strip 37 partly recessed in the flange 36. V-channel portions 38 of the rails 31,32 of the door engage the aforementioned tapering rails 22 and hold the door in engagement with the sealing strips 21. An additional seal is provided between the lower rail 32 of the door and the rocker 25 by respective flanges 39, 39a in the closed door position.

The rocker 25 is moved between the fully drawn doorclosing position and the opening position indicated in chaindotted lines in FIGS. 3 and 4 by an actuating mechanism including a crank disc 41 attached to an upright portion of the casing 8 by a pivot pin 40. A connecting bar 42 is pivotally attached to the crank of the disc 41, and a link 44 is similarly attached to the rocker 25. A hinge pin which connects the free ends of the bar 42 and of the link 44 is guided in a vertical slot 43 of the casing 8. A lever 46 is rotatably supported on the pin 40 and accessible from the inside of the building. It cooperates with two axial, eccentric abutment pins 45 on the disc 41 when it is manually swung on the pin 40 to pivot the rocker 25 between the illustrated positions, and thereby to shift the door 1 inwardly of the building into the position shown in chaindotted lines.

In that position, the door may travel on the bead 28 of the associated rocker 25 to a corresponding head of an identical, nonillustrated rocker associated with the door 2 so that one half of the door opening 6 is opened, or it may travel into the adjacent recess 10 on a guide rail 48 (FIG. 2) aligned with the track 28 in the opening position of the rocker 25. The door 2 being equipped with the identical mechanism, both doors may be removed simultaneously from the opening 6.

When the rocker pivots from the closing to the opening position, the associated door is partly guided on the plate 19 on the upper frame member 13 by rollers 47 horizontally spaced along the upper rail 31 of the movable door frame. The rollers 47 ultimately enter the channel 18 through its apertured wall. The door may be removed from the stationary frame structure by lifting it from the rocker in the opening position of the latter until the rollers 47 upwardly abut against the frame member 13 in the channel 18, and the rollers clear the track 28 so that the bottom of the door may be swung inward of the building.

In the closed position of the door, pins 50 vertically spaced on the stiles 33 engage upwardly open receptacles 49 on the stationary frame members 14 to prevent rattling of the door in high winds.

The window arrangement seen in FIGS. 5 to 8 is closely similar to the aforedescribed door mechanism. Frame members 31', 32', 33' and glass panes held between them essen tially constitute each sash 4,5. The sashes are slidably mounted on rockers 25 in a stationary frame constituted by members 12', 13, 14'. When the rocker is in its opening position, guide rollers 47 on the top member 31 of the sash are received in a channel 18 formed by the top member 13 of the stationary frame (FIG. 7) and an inner facing member 51 of extruded aluminum, and V-shaped channels 38 of the sash are released from rails 22 on the stationary frame (FIG. 8).

The facing member 51 is fixedly mounted on lateral brackets 54 which are hinged to the side members 14' of the window frame, as is best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, and may be held near the frame member 13 by means oflatches 52 on the inner side of the window which engage a channel 53 on the casing 8. The lower edge 56 of the facing member is bent inwardly ofthe building to provide a handle for swinging the facing member on the brackets 54 as far as straps 55 permit. The straps are hingedly fastened to the channel 53 and to the facing member 51, and the hinge pins securing the straps to the channel 53 slide in horizontal slots of the channel, as is known in itself.

When the facing member 51 is swung out of the window frame, a sash whose rocker 25 is in the opening position, as shown in FIG. 8 may be pivoted on the track 28 until the roller 47 abuts against the facing member (FIG. 6). One or both sashes 4,5 may thus be tilted to provide ventilation. The rocker 25 is secured in the opening position by spring-loaded detents 57 which may be retracted manually by means of knobs 58 when it is intended to return the rocker to its closing position by means of the associated lever 46, not itself shown in FIGS. 5 to 8.

While it is preferred to equip both doors 1,2 or both window sashes 4,5 with track-carrying rockers 25 so as to permit either half of the frame opening to be opened, many of the advantages of this invention can be obtained if one of the panel members is fixedly mounted on a fixed track carrier capable of simultaneously accommodating both panel members.

The force required for shifting the rockers 25 between their opening and closing positions is small, and the window and door frames need not be made unusually heavy to absorb these forces. The sliding movement of the panel members on the tracks 27,28 is rectilinear and requires minimal operating effort. As applied to windows, the invention permits one or both panels to be tilted from their normal upright position through a small acute angle into the ventilating position shown in FIG. 6, and the same tilting feature is available to doors if desired.

The principal structural elements of the window and door arrangements of the invention are preferably made of extruded aluminum, but the invention is not limited to specific materials of construction nor to the manner in which these materials are shaped. Except where specifically stated otherwise or obvious from the context, the extruded elements are of uniform cross section over their entire length and extend practically over the entire width or height of the opening in the casing 8.

It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited to the specific example chosen for the purpose of the disclosure, and that it is intended to cover all modifications and variations which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set froth in the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. A sliding door or window arrangement comprising, in combination:

a. an upright frame extending in a plane about an opening and having a bottom member elongated in a predetermined direction;

b. two track carriers longitudinally juxtaposed on said bottom member;

1 one of said track carriers being movable transversely of said direction between a closing position and an opening position and defining a first track extending in said direction, and

2. the other track carrier defining a second track extending in said direction; and

c. two panel members;

I. track engaging means on one of said panel members and engageable with said tracks for guiding movement of said one panel member on said tracks in said direction,

. the other panel member being mounted on said other track carrier,

. said panel members jointly extending in said plane and obstructing said opening when said plane and obstructing said opening when said track engaging means engage said first track while said one track carrier is in the closing position, and

4. said first and second tracks being aligned in said direction when said one track carrier is in the opening position thereof, and said one panel member being movable on the aligned tracks toward and away from a position in which said panel members are substantially coextensive in said direction and offset transversely of said direction.

2. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said one track carrier additionally defines a second track elongated in said direction, said other track carrier is movable transversely of said direction between a closing position and an opening position and additionally defines a first track elongated in said direction, the first track of said other track carrier being aligned with the second track of said one track carrier when said one track carrier is in the closing position while said other track carrier is in the opening position, said other panel member having track engaging means for guiding movement ofthe other panel member on said tracks.

3. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, further comprising pivot means securing said one track carrier member to said frame for. angular movement of said'trac k carrier betweensaid positions thereof. v e

4. An arrangement as set forth in claim 3, further comprising abutment means on said one track carrier member and on said frame engageable for limiting the angular movement of said one track carrier member between said positions.

5. An arrangement as set forth'in claim 1, further comprising manual operating means for moving said one track carrier between said positions thereof.

6. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, further comprising cooperating guide means on said one panel member and on said frame for guiding said one panel member into and out of said plane in response to movement of said one track carrier between the positions thereof when said track engaging means engage said first track.

7. An arrangement asset forth in claim 6, wherein said guide means include a guide member on said frame extending in an are about an axis extending in said direction and sloping downwardly toward said plane.

8. An arrangement as set forth in claim 6, further comprising cooperating sealing means on said frame and on said one panel member engaging each other when said one track carrier is in the closing position thereof and said track engaging means engage said first track.

9. An arrangement as set forth in claim 6, further comprising cooperating sealing means on said panel members engaging each other when said panel members extend in said plane.

. 6 10. An arrangement as set forth inclaim 6, wherein said guide means include a receptacle-engaging member on said one panel member and conforrningly received in said receptacle when said one panel member extends in said plane, said receptacle being open in the direction of movement of the panel member into and out of said plane.

11. An arrangement as set forth-in claim 1, wherein said track engaging means engage said tracks for pivoting move- 1 ment of said one panel member, and abutment means for limiting pivoting movement of said one panel member on the engaged track toward and away from a position in which the one panel member is substantially parallel to said plane to a small acute angle.

12. An arrangement as set forth in claim 11, wherein said abutment means include an abutment member movable between an inoperative position and an operative position in which the abutment member permits limited angular movement of said one panel member on the engaged track, the abutment member in the inoperative position preventing angular movement of the one panel member on the engaged track and guiding movement of the panel member on the aligned first and second tracks.

13. An arrangement as set forth in claim I, further comprising detent means for locking said one track carrier member in one of said positions thereof.

Disclaimer 3,571,976.-Km"t Schmz'd, Steyr, Austria. DOOR AND WINDOW AR- RANGEMENT. Patent dated Mar. 23, 1971. Disclaimer filed Jan. 14, 1974, by the assignee, Alcan Aluminiumwerke GmbH. Hereby enters this disclaimer to claims 1 to 13, inclusive of said patent.

[Official Gazette Apm'l 16, 1.974.] A 

1. A sliding door or window arrangement comprising, in combination: a. an upright frame extending in a plane about an opening and having a bottom member elongated in a predetermined direction; b. two track carriers longitudinally juxtaposed on said bottom member;
 1. one of said track cArriers being movable transversely of said direction between a closing position and an opening position and defining a first track extending in said direction, and
 2. the other track carrier defining a second track extending in said direction; and c. two panel members;
 1. track engaging means on one of said panel members and engageable with said tracks for guiding movement of said one panel member on said tracks in said direction,
 2. the other panel member being mounted on said other track carrier,
 3. said panel members jointly extending in said plane and obstructing said opening when said plane and obstructing said opening when said track engaging means engage said first track while said one track carrier is in the closing position, and
 4. said first and second tracks being aligned in said direction when said one track carrier is in the opening position thereof, and said one panel member being movable on the aligned tracks toward and away from a position in which said panel members are substantially coextensive in said direction and offset transversely of said direction.
 2. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said one track carrier additionally defines a second track elongated in said direction, said other track carrier is movable transversely of said direction between a closing position and an opening position and additionally defines a first track elongated in said direction, the first track of said other track carrier being aligned with the second track of said one track carrier when said one track carrier is in the closing position while said other track carrier is in the opening position, said other panel member having track engaging means for guiding movement of the other panel member on said tracks.
 2. the other panel member being mounted on said other track carrier,
 2. the other track carrier defining a second track extending in said direction; and c. two panel members;
 3. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, further comprising pivot means securing said one track carrier member to said frame for angular movement of said track carrier between said positions thereof.
 3. said panel members jointly extending in said plane and obstructing said opening when said plane and obstructing said opening when said track engaging means engage said first track while said one track carrier is in the closing position, and
 4. said first and second tracks being aligned in said direction when said one track carrier is in the opening position thereof, and said one panel member being movable on the aligned tracks toward and away from a position in which said panel members are substantially coextensive in said direction and offset transversely of said direction.
 4. An arrangement as set forth in claim 3, further comprising abutment means on said one track carrier member and on said frame engageable for limiting the angular movement of said one track carrier member between said positions.
 5. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, further comprising manual operating means for moving said one track carrier between said positions thereof.
 6. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, further comprising cooperating guide means on said one panel member and on said frame for guiding said one panel member into and out of said plane in response to movement of said one track carrier between the positions thereof when said track engaging means engage said first track.
 7. An arrangement as set forth in claim 6, wherein said guide means include a guide member on said frame extending in an arc about an axis extending in said direction and sloping downwardly toward said plane.
 8. An arrangement as set forth in claim 6, further comprising cooperating sealing means on said frame and on said one panel member engaging each other when said one track carrier is in the closing position thereof and said track engaging means engage said first track.
 9. An arrangement as set forth in claim 6, further comprising cooperating sealing means on said panel members engaging each other when said panel members extend in said plane.
 10. An arrangement as set forth in claim 6, wherein said guide means include a receptacle-engaging member on said one panel member and conformingly received in said receptacle when said one panel member extends in said plane, said receptacle being open in the direction of movement of the panel member into and out of said plane.
 11. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said track engaging means engage said tracks for pivoting movement of said one panel member, and abutment means for limiting pivoting movement of said one panel member on the engaged track toward and away from a position in which the one panel member is substantialLy parallel to said plane to a small acute angle.
 12. An arrangement as set forth in claim 11, wherein said abutment means include an abutment member movable between an inoperative position and an operative position in which the abutment member permits limited angular movement of said one panel member on the engaged track, the abutment member in the inoperative position preventing angular movement of the one panel member on the engaged track and guiding movement of the panel member on the aligned first and second tracks.
 13. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, further comprising detent means for locking said one track carrier member in one of said positions thereof. 